Enclosure tarpaulin for enclosing variable sized passageways



' Aug. 2, 1955 H. G. WORSHAM ENCLOSURE TARPAULIN FOR ENCLOSING VARIABLE SIZED PASSAGEWAYS Filed June 3, 1952 IN VEN TOR. #ewm WOEJfi/AM United States Patent 2,714,386 ENCLOSURE TARPAULIN FOR ENCLOSIN G VARIABLE SIZED PASSAGEWAYS Harry G. Worsham, Denver, Colo. Application June 3, 1952, Serial No. 291,403 1 Claim. (Cl. 135-5) This invention relates to enclosure tarpaulins or canopies, particularly designed for enclosing variable sized passageways between the doorways of spaced apart chambers such as a warehouse building and a railway box car, truck, or the like, and thus protecting the interiors from cold and inclement weather.

The transfer of materials from one such structure to the other during cold or inclement weather results in discomfort to occupants of the warehouse and the workers, and in loss of heat from buildings through doorways open during the transfer operations. To overcome these objections, and to establish a substantially air tight enclosure for the passageway between the building and railway box car or the like, I have produced a specially shaped and constructed tarpaulin which is provided with means for removably fastening it to the inner surfaces of the walls adjacent the open doorways of the respective spaced apart structures, and which is readily adjustable so as to enclose passageways of different cross sectional areas and lengths.

Waterproof canvas may be employed in the construe tion of the canopies embodying my invention, but other suitable materials which are flexible and substantially air and water tight may be substituted.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an enclosure tarpaulin embodying my invention as it appears from the inside of a warehouse building, looking through the open doorway of the building toward the doorway of a railway box car to which the device is attached.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the enclosure tarpaulin described herein.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken in the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of one of the strap ties used for attaching a tarpaulin strap to the inner surface of the wall of a box car or truck.

Fig. 5 is an elevational edge view of the same.

In the drawings, indicates the tarpaulin as a whole, 11 the warehouse building walls adjacent a doorway, and 12 the box car walls adjacent a doorway. The building floor or removable cross plank is indicated at 13. In the preferred embodiment of my invention, said tarpaulin 10 comprises a middle panel 14, trapezoidal in shape, which is wider at its end edge than at its opposite edge 16. At each side of said middle panel 14 and stitched or otherwise connected to the side edges thereof, between said end edges 15 and 16, is a side section 17 which may be made of a single piece of canvas or other suitable material, or may be made up of a number of stitched together pieces.

A plurality of flat relatively narrow strap members 18 are stitched to the tarpaulin 10 transversely thereof so as to overlie and cross the sections 14 and 17 thereof as shown and to extend beyond the opposite edges which form the longitudinal margins of the tarpaulin as a whole. These straps 18 are suitably spaced apart and serve as means for connecting the enclosure tarpaulin to the described structures and also serve to reinforce the material forming the device. A buckle 19 or the like is fastened to each of the protruding ends of the straps 13 for receiving the free ends of the straps and forming looped ends of adjustable length.

The length of the tarpaulin at its longest margin, that is the one which includes the edge 15, is such that the canopy will overlie the inside of the building wall adjacent and surrounding its doorway, including the area 2,714,386 Patented Aug. 2, 1955 above the door as well as at each side thereof down to the floor 13. The length of the opposite margin, that including the edge 16, is such that the canopy will overlie the inside of the box car wall adjacent its doorway, including the area above the door as well as at each side thereof down to the floor of the car. The width of the tarpaulin between said aforementioned margins is such that the canopy will extend across the space between the two structures and cover the inner surfaces of the walls of the respective structures to a substantial extent, sulficient to exclude outside air and moisture from the interiors of said structures when the tarpaulin has been positioned as intended.

To fasten the straps 18 to the inner surface of the box car wall adjacent the doorway, I prefer to use strap tie members 20. Each tie member 20 consists of a flat piece of metal, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, provided with a slot 21 near one end and a hook 22 at the opposite end. The free end of a strap 18 is passed through the slot 21 of a tie member and then through its buckle 19. The hooked end 22 engages a strip or other part of the inner wall 12 of the box car. All the ends of the straps 18 projecting from one longitudinal margin of the tarpaulin are similarly connected to tie members 20 for fastening the tarpaulin to the inside of the box car. A nail or spike 24 passed through the hole 23 in the tie member 20 into the car wall may be employed to hold the tie in place.

The ends of the straps 18 which project from the opposite longitudinal margin of the tarpaulin are looped through screw eyes 25 which are fastened to the inner surfaces of the wall 11 of the building adjacent the doorway, as shown. The screw eyes 25 need not be removed when the tarpaulin is unfastened from the box car and from the building, since the looped ends of the straps 18 may be withdrawn from the screw eyes 25.

The dimensions of the canopy and the several portions thereof may be varied as required by the sizes of the doorways of the respective structures and the width of the space between them. Usually the doorway of the warehouse is larger than the doorway of a railway box car or truck, and therefore that portion of the tarpaulin adjacent the longest margin is used to cover the building wall adjacent its doorway and to be fastened to said wall. However, the position may be reversed if required.

Changes may be made in details of construction and in the dimensions and form of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

An enclosure tarpaulin for enclosing a variable sized passageway, comprising a middle panel trapezoidal in shape in which the two non-parallel side edges diverge at similar angles from the shorter of the two parallel edges to the longer of said edges, rectangularly shaped side sections equal in width to the said divergent side edges of the middle panel attached to each of said divergent edges, the longitudinal edges of said middle panel and side sections intersecting, and forming continuous opposite longitudinal edges of different lengths, and a plurality of straps secured to the tarpaulin extending transversely of said side sections parallel to said divergent side edges of the middle panel and projecting beyond opposite longitudinal edges of said side sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 602,587 Phelps Apr. 19, 1898 929,357 Whitney July 27, 1909 1,025,058 Hampson Apr. 30, 1912 1,688,241 Lafoon Oct. 16, 1928 1,827,427 Fincher Oct. 13, 1931 1,858,739 Hofrichter May 17, 1932 2,325,645 White Aug. 3, 1943 

